The Put up’s Joseph Staszewski brings you around the globe of professional wrestling each Tuesday in his weekly column, the Put up Match Angle.
Bray Wyatt’s return at Excessive Guidelines and the construct to it's going to stand proper there with a few of the greatest returns in WWE historical past. They nailed the straightforward half, however what’s subsequent can be more durable and can outline Wyatt’s legacy.
Returns are arduous to screw up as a result of even when it’s a little bit lackluster, the viewers is usually excited to see whoever seems and the group in Philadelphia for Excessive Guidelines on Saturday was ecstatic to see Wyatt, who has all the time been a grasp of the sort of pageantry and storytelling. It hasn’t all the time translated as soon as all of it will get within the ring, nonetheless. Perhaps a few of it was poor reserving selections and ending decisions, however that want to alter this time round.
The final we noticed Wyatt — who will go down as some of the puzzling releases in WWE historical past — he was The Fiend character. As cool because the theatrical moments The Fiend created had been, it was difficult to placed on a superb product within the ring on a constant foundation due to the character’s supernatural and unbeatable nature. It led to a ton of dangerous matches, from Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell in 2019 to Goldberg at Tremendous Showdown in 2020 and Braun Strowman each at Cash within the Financial institution and SummerSlam in 2020 to call of few. Wyatt is a greater than succesful employee, however is probably going by no means going to be a five-star match man. In an period the place work-rate and match high quality matter, the tales he masterfully tells have to translate and repay within the ring for him to actually attain the heights WWE hopes.
It's why I don’t need to see The Fiend returning, and it seems that received’t be the case primarily based on what transpired throughout Wyatt’s look at Excessive Guidelines. He wore a brand new masks and had his signature lantern from his Wyatt days, so a reset could also be so as. (The 2 small nods to Brodie Lee with the lighting of the door and Abby The Witch’s masks was a terrific contact.) Wyatt, 36, was at his greatest when he led the Wyatt Household, and the Firefly Funhouse characters coming to life within the stands throughout his return has followers feeling that would be the case once more. The Wyatt 6, which is his Twitter deal with, has been thrown round because the faction’s identify and the brand proven to shut Excessive Guidelines solely added to the hypothesis. What we do know is he can be a SmackDown celebrity as WWE promoted him to look this Friday.
As factions begin to develop into a factor in WWE once more, a bunch led by Wyatt with added artistic freedom has an opportunity to be an all-timer. The objective must be to make Wyatt credible sufficient to be within the dialog to beat Roman Reigns for the Common championship, seeing how he was by no means pinned for the title when Reigns first received in a triple-threat match with The Fiend and Strowman at Payback in 2020. If he will get a faction, it ought to really feel on the extent of The Bloodline as one of many firm’s premier models. That might begin together with his brother Bo Dallas’ potential return, as is being rumored. There's a story to inform right here. Something wanting that will really feel like a missed alternative.
At worst, the success of the “White Rabbit” construct and WWE hiring former Marvel and Disney author Rob Payment as its new director of long-term artistic means we are going to possible see extra of those kind of applications sooner or later, and that’s nice information. Something that’s going to push WWE creatively to inform intriguing and interactive tales is a large plus. Wyatt helped usher it in and hopefully will proceed to reap the advantages.
The epic return it helped create was a novel momentum builder for WWE, however now it should develop into a lot extra for Wyatt. Pretty much as good and revered as Wyatt is, he has by no means appeared to achieve his full potential within the firm.
It’s now or by no means.
Shake and Faux?
MJF and Wheeler Yuta did an attention-grabbing piece of enterprise after their very good opening match on “Dynamite” final week. Friedman, who doesn’t really feel like he respects anybody, practically accomplished a post-match handshake with Yuta – who it looks like he does respect. However earlier than he might, Lee Moriarty, a member of The Agency (MJF’s steady on retainer), attacked Yuta. It led to MJF flipping out on him for doing so and he reluctantly was going to hit Yuta with the Dynamite Diamond ring earlier than William Regal and his brass knuckles intervened.
It was one of many uncommon instances we’ve seen MJF present what seemed to be real compassion for one more wrestler. Will we see extra situations of this as he works his method towards being world champion? Is all of it a part of an enormous con? Will MJF lose management of The Agency? (Although it doesn’t appear that method as they attacked Jon Moxley at a GCW present after he misplaced the promotion’s title to Nick Gage.) Is AEW giving themselves an avenue to lean MJF extra babyface if want be? It was an interesting piece of enterprise and not using a clear purpose in the intervening time.
Managers’ Particular
Speak to the Managers. Using managers – particularly feminine managers — had been thrown to the wayside in WWE by Vince McMahon lately. Now, it’s slowly turning into some of the noticeable and efficient adjustments made by Triple H. Final week Zelina Vega returned to take Elektra Lopez’s spot with the newly promoted Legado del Fantasma on SmackDown. Vega has been glorious within the position beforehand with Andrade and provides instant credibility to the group. Now with Vega, Hit Row’s B-Fab, Most Male Mannequin’s Maxine Dupree and Scarlett with Karrion Kross, we're seeing the resurgence of feminine valets, all of whom can get bodily and wrestle if wanted. Add to that what Rhea Ripley is doing with The Judgment Day, the place she looks like an equal to Finn Balor and Damian Priest, and it simply reveals you the additional benefit to all concerned to combine the boys with the ladies in factions.
The ten Rely
The season premiere of “Monday Evening Uncooked” had a cool Uncooked-after-WrestleMania vibe with the return of the Good Brothers and Brock Lesnar, a title change with Seth Rollins turning into the USA champion and nostalgia with some fairly humorous DX segments.
Matt Riddle beating Seth Rollins within the Battle Pit makes much more sense now after what transpired on Uncooked. Whether or not you agree or not, and I don’t, WWE has him attempting to reverse the truth that he can not problem Reigns for the world title. He beat Sami Zayn, who refused the assistance Reigns requested Jey Uso to offer him as that story provides one other layer. Rollins successful the USA championship and turning into a two-time Grand Slam champ after Bobby Lashley was attacked by Lesnar allowed him to say on WWE’s social media that he tapped out to save lots of himself for that match. If WWE needs to get loopy, it has Rollins use the U.S. title to kick off a feud with The Bloodline, both with Sami, Solo Sikoa or Jey Uso on his approach to a program with Roman for the Royal Rumble or Day 1.
Saraya getting bodily with Britt Baker after Baker mentioned the previous WWE star hasn’t been cleared by medical doctors has to make you assume she really is, proper? It was additionally good to see a bunch of the ladies get display screen time for a second straight week, Willow Nightingale getting a TBS title match out of it and Jade Cargill lastly getting a significant program with Nyla Rose.
Grayson Waller’s character is self-centered and attention-seeking, however from a digicam shot simply on him, quite a few palm bushes, and a fairly humorous faux Twitter scroll, there may be method an excessive amount of occurring throughout his Grayson Waller Impact segments. It makes it simpler for the viewers’s focus to probably drift from friends the phase needs to be attempting to recover from. Thought Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez did a stable job general regardless of all that.
Dominik Mysterio has nuclear-level warmth now after beating up his dad, who refused to retaliate. He has a significantly better presence on digicam as a heel and perhaps that comes with a clearer character path. Finn Balor put him over in an interview with me final week and couldn’t agree extra proper now.
Wardlow and Brian Cage delivered a match that was a spectacle because of the 2 males’s freakish athleticism. It was a reminder of what TNT title matches needs to be. Hopefully we see extra of Cage on AEW TV after this as a result of he deserves it after that.
Austin Principle, who misplaced to Johnny Gargano on Monday, has received only one televised match since turning into Mr. Cash within the Financial institution. He beat Dolph Ziggler on Uncooked in August and has simply three wins complete, throughout Ziggler, since Cash within the Financial institution.
Jon Moxley continues to be promo gold. He’s cool, intense and him dryly calling “Hangman” Adam Web page a “candy child” and “like loads of children round right here, you say silly stuff that will get you in bother” was a hoot. Him signing a brand new five-year contract, taking up a mentoring position and certain slicing out the indy reveals is the definition of management at a time the AEW locker room want it most.
The overall package deal is beginning to come collectively for Affect Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace, and her match at Certain For Glory towards Masha Slamovich was one other step in that path. A star is being unlocked.
Sami Zayn is the very best factor on wrestling tv week in and week out, bar none. There must be a large babyface run in his future, proper? Till then we are going to take pleasure in watching him act further Ucey.
Wrestler of the Week
Frankie Kazarian, Affect Wrestling
The AEW star, who's doing a stint again in Affect, defeated Mike Bailey within the opening match on the Certain For Glory pay-per-view to grew to become the X-Division champion for the sixth time and for the primary time since his final singles title in 2011. It was a extremely cool second for such a revered veteran. Hopefully it results in some extra big-match alternatives sooner or later for the 45-year-old Kazarian.
Match to Watch
Billy Gunn vs. Swerve Strickland, AEW Dynamite (Wednesday, 8 p.m., TBS)
The match occurs two days after WWE celebrated D-Technology X’s 25th anniversary on Uncooked with out Gunn, who can be wrestling simply his fourth televised singles match in AEW. Gunn remains to be in super form at 58 years previous and it will likely be attention-grabbing to see what sort of match he has with somebody as gifted as Strickland. There's a probability that a vicious post-match beatdown from Strickland might additional his rift with associate Keith Lee as Swerve has an opportunity for a wonderful heel run within the firm. There aren’t too many wrestlers from Gunn’s period nonetheless within the ring, so any alternative to see one carry out is price testing.
Round The Ring
- If you wish to donate to the memorial fund for former WWE wrestler Sara Lee right here is the hyperlink to the GoFundMe memorial web page.
- New Japan Professional-Wrestling launched a brand new NJPW World Tv championship that can be used to advertise youthful expertise and provides a few of its dwell occasions a title match. The matches themselves may have 15-minute time restrict
- WWE introduced its “Campus Rush” recruitment tour that may come to eight prime NCAA Division I faculty beginning Wednesday and run by Dec. 7. It is going to, at the side of every college, give student-athletes an opportunity to study WWE’s “Subsequent In Line” (NIL) program and the sources it will possibly present. WWE will go to Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Boise State, Arkansas, Ohio State, Kansas and Penn State.
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